#bc it would be useless without knowing WHO is the reason for it

[tangents-within-tangents]

I think what bothers me the most about people doing this is that I always see them say something about how Saw "unnecessarily blew up the base" that it was "entirely useless" and he was just "stubborn" and "couldn't see the bigger picture"

And like 1, WE have the dramatic irony of knowing that Tarkin and Krennic are going to survive bc we saw the other movies, Saw did not. 2, It wouldn't have been "useless" and "unnecessary" if his plan had succeeded, and he obviously didn't know it wouldn't succeed.

Rewatched the scenes recently (bc I got in a fight about this on pinterest of all places lolll), and there's a very important detail people always ignore:

The Batch being there messed up Saw's plan too. They both didn't know the other would have a mission there at the same time and both missions suffered for it. The Batch maybe could have gotten away with the disturbance in the hangar, and Saw's team could have gotten away with hacking the cameras, but both together drew too much attention and the Imperials discovered them. (which, side note: makes me think back to episode 1, when Hunter tells Saw you can't defeat the Empire and Saw says "not alone we can't." like maybe if they had been working together with the rebel groups they could have better coordinated their efforts)

Saw had no reason to give up his mission, that he surely planned and worked for for weeks, with just half a minute of talking with some guys he ran into. Why should he give up his mission that was equally important to his cause anymore than they should give up theirs? Also why is this fandom acting like trying to kill Tarkin is a bad thing??? Hello??

Saw: Taking out several of their top commanders is a good start. Tech: Well, that victory will be short-lived as their ranks will quickly be replenished.

I just really don't think this is true. Tarkin is a big player, like 3rd in command after the Emperor and Vader, I don't think that taking him out of the picture would be useless. Think of how much work and sacrifice went into assassinating Reinhard Heydrich during WW2. Or how taking out Dooku and Grievous was a major factor in ending the Clone War. Rogue One also shows that Krennic is the main reason the Death Star even happened, bc he championed the project and brought Galen Erso back to the Empire. And if Hemlock had died then? Yeah the clones would need to find another way to find Tantiss base (which they end up doing later), but Omega never would have been captured (something else people like to blame on Saw). And if Hemlock dying at the end of s3 is what leads to Tantiss and Project Necromancer being abandoned and Omega finally being safe, I think it's safe to say that the ranks wouldn't just be replenished without any significant impact.

Taking out major leaders is a valid strategy, especially if a bunch of them are in one place. Like literally if Saw's plan had succeeded maybe the war could have been cut in half with one attack. That is the definition of the bigger picture! Yet bc Tech the oh so smart guy said one thing about it being short-sighted (in typical bad batch 'fighting the Empire is futile' fashion) everyone agrees that it was for nothing. Like honestly with all this in mind the Batch are really the ones who should have given up their mission for Saw's. And saying it was useless just because his plan didn't work out is like saying something like Operation Valkyrie was useless because it failed.

And again, it didn't work out because the Batch being there interfered. So basically, if yall are gonna blame Saw for Tech's death, then by that same logic you should blame the Batch for the Death Star and Alderaan.

Also, I think it's kinda messed up that they gave Saw this line "sacrifices have to be made for the greater good" as if it is radical, dismissive, and selfish (or at least that is how I always see people twist it), a year after Andor s1 came out which showed a Saw who clearly understands and feels the weight of those sacrifices.

For those who didn't know fans have been blaming Saw, it's been happening since that episode aired but Generation Tech did so in a recent video and you'll see plenty of this annoying sentiment in the comments. Literally saying "Saw KILLED Tech" and never mentioning Tarkin who had the car shot off the track. (They do it so violently too, I've seen stuff like "get your pitchforks" and "he must be drawn and quartered" and even "I bought an action figure of him just to torture him" like babe get a life and it's not his freaking fault!!)

I think what pushed me over the edge is seeing some people say "if only the Batch had followed orders and killed Saw in the first episode then Tech would still be alive"

like

I hope they were just joking bc um WTF??

"If only they had FOLLOWED ORDERS"???? You mean Tarkin's orders to literally kill civilians and CHILDREN?!? The orders that pushed them to leave the Empire, arguably the only moral decision the Batch (minus Echo and Omega) ever made in regards to the Empire?? Those orders!?

I'm so uncomfortable with fans blaming Saw for Tech's death, when arguably there were so many other factors. Saw isn't wrong for deciding to stage an attack when all of Imperial High Command was in one place.

I think it's unfortunate that Tech died, but with the way Bad Batch fans talk about Saw you'd think he was being malicious towards Tech in the first place. Mind you, he warned them, and didn't immediately blow the place up.

There's more smoke for Saw than there is for Tarkin or even Hemlock, in that scene. Wasn't Tarkin the one who sent reinforcements that contributed to Tech having to sacrafice himself? Even if Saw didn't blow the place up, they would have been cutting it incredibly close.

I think another layer is they wouldn't even be there if it weren't for Crosshair working with the Empire to begin with.

Idk why but whenever there are ample examples of other people besides Saw who contributed to Tech's death (namely, you know, the Empire), the blame is unfairly placed on Saw.

And if you want to say what Saw does doesn't do anything on the Grand Scheme of things, then fair. But same with Rex and his clone revolution. Regardless though, they are still acts that manage to negatively impact the Empire, no matter how small.

It's not Saw's fault Tech died. It's Tarkin's. It's the Empire's.

[redrosydiaz]

neighbors dog has been barking for, no fucking joke, a whole hour straight. 🙃🙃

[katsu28]

34 osc with sick reader 🤭

this is actually so fitting bc i'm sick rn and would give anything to have an osc to take care of me

oscar piastri x reader, 1.3k. mentions of flu + flu symptoms but nothing too detailed. request something from here :)

“You should’ve told me you were ill.” 

Oscar fixes you to the spot with a slightly disapproving frown as soon as you pull open your front door, though it’s offset by the bulging paper bags dangling from both hands. 

You step aside to let him in, fighting the throbbing in your skull at the sudden movement. You’ve been holed up in your flat for almost a week with a pesky cough that had quickly morphed into a full blown case of the flu, rendering you pretty much useless for more than ten minutes. It’s been a struggle, but you didn’t want to bother anyone, especially not Oscar. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” You croak. Your words seem lost on him as he strides towards the kitchen to unload his bags. Gingerly, you follow him, focusing deeply on not keeling over in your slow hobble to lean against the counter.

“I had to hear it from Lando instead. You told Lando you were sick and not your own boyfriend?” 

“I didn’t want to get you sick, Osc. Your job is hard enough as it is, you shouldn’t have to risk making it more strenuous because I gave you whatever I’ve got.” Your reasonings die off into a hacking cough at the end, inhales that rattle through your chest painfully. Oscar winces at the sound, and his face softens. 

He pauses in his unpacking of what seems like an entire pharmacy, rounding the island to come stand in front of you, concern evident now. “I don’t care if I get sick. I wanna be here to help you.” 

“Why are you so perfect? It’s annoying.”

“It’s a gift.” He brushes off your backhanded compliment with a small smile and a shrug, pressing the back of his hand against your forehead. “You’re still burning up. I brought some medicine just in case you needed anything else. Also honey lemon tea, chicken soup, and a bunch of electrolyte drinks my trainer swears by.” 

You blink, a little caught off guard by just how prepared he is. “Tea sounds nice.” 

“I’ll make you a cup. When was the last time you showered?” 

“Are you saying I stink?” You huff, mustering the most offended glare you can manage. It must not pack much of a punch, because it doesn’t phase Oscar, given his non-reaction. “Fine, I dunno. Three, four days ago?” 

“Yeesh. You should shower.” 

“Yes, I know that, mister obvious,” You gripe. The corners of his mouth lift in an amused smile. “I just can’t stand on my own for very long at the moment. Not without feeling like I’m about to pass out.” 

“I could help.” 

“Are you seriously trying to get into my pants right now?” 

Oscar’s cheeks flush bright red, ears doing the same. “No! No, I’m not—I’m trying to be helpful, honest to god.” 

“Uh huh.” 

“I am! A shower would help you feel better, and I can help make sure you don’t, like, fall and hit your head, or something.” 

“Oh. Really?” Oscar nods, looking sincere, and suddenly you feel the slightest bit bad for assuming anything else. “Um, sure. That’s really kind of you, Osc.” 

“Well, I have been told I���m annoyingly perfect.”  

“Wonder who said that.” 

“My very sick, very stinky, very cute girlfriend.” 

“Tread carefully, Piastri.” 

“Always do.” 

You feel at your most vulnerable in front of Oscar as soon as he turns the water on, even though you’ve showered together many times before. 

This time feels different. More intimate. You’re putting yourself in his hands and letting him help you because you know he’ll do it with nothing but the utmost care. 

He’s stripped down to his underwear so as to not get the majority of his clothes wet. Even in your fever muddied state, you can admire the strong plane of his shoulders, the freckles and moles dotting his skin. The way the water pools in the hollow of his collarbones before cascading down his strong chest. 

If you were feeling more like yourself, you’d jump his bones. For now, you’ll settle on leaning back against him in the spray of the perfectly hot water, taking the support he gives. 

“Can I use your nice body wash? The lavender one?” 

“Mhm,” You mumble, already halfway to slumber. 

Oscar’s hands are beyond gentle as he washes your body, murmuring soft directions punctuated with quiet stories about what’s been going on in his life since the last time you’d seen each other. It all feels very domestic, something you could even see yourself having with Oscar in the future. You’re far from that right now, but you’d be lying to yourself if you said it didn’t sound nice. 

“Hey, hey, don’t go to sleep on me,” He murmurs, nudging you gently. 

“M’not falling asleep,” You huff, pouting. Oscar lets out a chuckle that vibrates through his chest.

“Good. ‘Cause we’re all done here,” He says, rubbing a hand down your arm. He flicks the tap off, guides you out of the shower, wrapping a fluffy towel around you before grabbing one for himself. He even goes so far as to dry you off before you can even think of doing it yourself. As he towels his hair dry, he studies you with watchful eyes. “You alright? Wanna go to bed?” 

“I’m okay,” You say, feeling well rejuvenated thanks to Oscar. Now that the ache in your bones has dulled to bearable enough, you take note of your hunger. On cue, your stomach growls loud enough for him to hear. 

“Hungry, I see,” He chuckles. You smile sheepishly. “Why don’t we put some clean clothes on and I’ll heat up the soup?” 

You manage to dress yourself without Oscar’s help. When you pad out to the kitchen snuggled deep in a jumper of his that you’d nicked ages ago, he's just putting out a steaming hot mug of tea on the counter for you. A pot of soup simmers on the stovetop behind him, as promised. 

“Feel any better?” 

“Loads,” You sigh, dragging yourself to sit on a kitchen stool. The mug warms your palms nicely when you wrap your hands around it. “Thank you, Osc. I meant it when I said you were perfect, y’know.” 

Oscar smiles warmly. “If taking care of you means I’m perfect, then you're a saint for putting up with me.” 

“Being with you is easy, Osc.” 

“And taking care of you is too.” 

“I wanna kiss you so bad right now.” 

Oscar’s cheeks go pink, eyes squinting into a bashful close lipped smile. “What’s stopping you?” 

You pout. “Don’t wanna give you whatever I’ve got. I’d feel so guilty if I did.” 

“Reckon you should give my immune system more credit. I’ll be fine,” He assures you. “And if I do get sick, you can take care of me without worrying about catching it again. Because, like, antibodies, or whatever.” 

“Oh, so you’re a scientist now, are you?” You tease. Oscar shrugs. “I guess one kiss couldn’t hurt.” 

He beams wider, looking like a cat that’d just gotten the cream as he leans over the counter to offer his cheek towards you as you roll your eyes. You’ll give him that much for the help he's given you today. 

Before you can press a kiss to his waiting cheek, he rears back, ducking off to the side and into the crook of his elbow a split second before a sneeze escapes him. Then another, and a third one. 

You gasp, shoving your stool back and away from him. “I knew it! You’re gonna get sick, Osc!” 

“No, that was…allergies.” 

“Oscar!” You whine, burrowing deeper into your jumper. 

“It was!” He protests, but even that is weak. You can see right through him. “You know I have that thing with dust. Totally not you.” 

“I will kick you out.” You try your best to look threatening, but an ill timed bout of coughing rips through you yet again, making you groan a little at the scratch in your throat. Your forehead presses against the smooth countertop, the coolness bringing a little solace to your heated skin. 

Oscar’s palm smooths along your back, voice soft and fond as can be. “No, you won’t. You like me too much.”

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[lis-likes-fics]

Matters of Propriety

Pairings: Rhaenyra Targaryen x Reader, Rhaenyra Targaryen x Laenor Velaryon (Platonic) Word Count: 6.4k words Warnings: NSFW, smut, constant use of metaphors, reference to homosexuality as an illness, fingering, oral (f!receiving), soft dom!Rhaenyra, consensual adultery, useless lesbians, kinktober... A/N: I love Rhaenyra. She's so scrumptious and I enjoyed writing this. I wish I could have done more bc I don't feel like I did her dominance justice, but, given the circumstance, it's actually not an issue. Anyway, enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Rhaenyra brings a hand to her tired eyes, working away at the warmth in her temple as she looks upon her husband. “Do you toil in anything but sea and sex, husband?”

Laenor is especially restless today, just in a more excited way. He's practically beaming from ear and ear as he shares the gossip he's learned with his wife. Although it's a pleasant thing to see him so full of life, Rhaenyra would humbly ask for some rest if she were not so busy today.

Laenor rolls his eyes more pleasantly than she. He turns his back to tidy the scrolls piled on a table. “This isn't sea or sex. It's gossip.” He glances over his shoulder mischievously. “And, yes, I do.”

Rhaenyra sighs. “What are the matters of a servant girl’s likes of sex to me?” Her brows furrow, a light sheen of humor in her voice as she tilts her head. “What are they to you? Might I remind you, Laenor, you prefer snake to oyster.”

Laenor laughs. “And even if she's meant to prefer the same, just as you do, she does not.” He lets out another giddy laugh, like he's thought of some witty banter to add on. “Anyone who feasts upon the wrong meal is my friend.” He turns and leans against the table, looking at her with a quirked brow. “She's your friend, too, Rhaenyra.”

The way he says it makes her squint. “And what is that meant to mean?”

He smirks. “She's one of your servants.”

“Who?”

“Your favorite.”

Now her interest is piqued. She tilts her toward him, almost scoffing as she considers this. “Truly?”

He comes over, leaning over a chair and shrugging. “What reason have I to lie?”

“Entertainment.”

He scoffs, plopping down in the seat opposite her. “I find entertainment in this without need for deceit.” He watches her, watches the way her face shifts as she thinks about what he's just told her. It's surely just rumor. But a rumor like this could be deadly—of course, he knows better than to spread something so dangerous. “Admit it. You're interested.”

She takes in a deep breath, standing to act like she's got better things to do. And she should…but at the moment, she's got nothing to occupy herself until the small council meeting.

“I have no need to be interested.”

He chuckles, rolling his eyes in amusement. “You prefer snake.”

“I do.” She turns away. “Besides, what is there to like without the usefulness of an extra appendage?”

His smirk is diabolical. “Why don't you ask her yourself?”

She tilts her chin up, humoring him for the sake of humoring him. “Perhaps I will.”

It's a wonder his smile grows. It had already been split so far that she wondered if someone had taken a knife to it.

“Excellent!”

~

Rhaenyra is settled in one of the rare moments where she has time to herself. Laenor is on one of his many ventures, she has no appointments, and no one has come to bother her yet. She's been busying herself with needlework (though she knows she has a terrible hand in it, it gives her something to do).

When someone knocks on the door, she glances up and mutters a distant, “Come.”

The door opens. “Princess.” She glances up at the voice, one she recognizes well. You bow gently, offering a smile as you hold out your tray. “I brought your tea, if it please you.”

Rhaenyra smiles, nodding and allowing you farther inside. “Thank you.”

You come and sit the tray down on the table, pouring her cup and adding her sugar. “Would you like me to bring anything, my princess?”

She shakes her head. “That won't be necessary. Thank you,” she says again.

You hum. Once her tea is prepared, you move to tidy her room. There's no real mess, but the longer you spend in here, the less time you have to spend doing other tedious and mind-numbing work. Besides, the princess has expressed to you how she doesn't mind your presence. You prefer to be here.

You start gathering empty cups and any forgotten dishes, wiping as you go. “If you don’t mind my asking, Princess, how fares your day?” You know she doesn’t mind, but you’ll never be able to shake your impulsion toward over-politeness. “It’s been quite lovely out.”

“That it has,” she says. Rhaenyra sets down her canvas, reaching for her cup to take a sip of the tea you’d so graciously brought her. “Meanwhile, I have been confined to the castle doing court duties and pretending the men are actually listening to me.”

A stray chuckle seeps from your nose. “One day, you shall be queen, my princess, and then they will have to listen to you.”

Rhaenyra’s chuckle is more rueful, but just as stray as yours. “That day can’t come soon enough, it seems.”

She likes the way you address her. Most of the people here call her princess with such emphasis, as if they were reminding her of her place as though it were eternal. She is the heir to the throne, yet they call her princess almost like they were saying “peasant”. When you say it, “my princess”, she almost thinks for a moment that she is already Queen.

Rhaenyra hums, glancing at you as you feather thin dust from shelves. Laenor’s words echo in her mind. She had almost forgotten the rumor she’d heard, almost let it slip her mind in the time between seeing the two of you. As she watches you, it’s glued in her mind, stuck like honey in her head.

She imagines it now. Your lips against a woman’s—a woman’s whose lips are suspiciously pale and whose nose is suspiciously distinct.

“Some gossip has come about me from my husband today,” she says without much thought. It slips out more than she means to say it. Even her tone has become shifty in the last moment. “It seems he’s as bored as to listen to the rumors of the servants in the Keep.”

You hum without turning, still stalling to avoid going back to work. “Is that so, Princess? What rumors, if I may ask?”

She chooses her words carefully, slowly. “Rumors of a servant girl with…queer customs.”

Your hesitance was almost indistinguishable. You could have gotten away with it, but she’s watching too closely. You continue almost without a hitch. “What sort of queer customs?”

Rhaenyra licks her bottom lip. “Ones that make her adverse to the taste of sailors…or sea-men, in other words.” She almost couldn’t believe herself. She’s turned to her husband’s humor.

There’s a long pause where you consider her words, wondering if they’re funny or thoroughly ridiculous. You suppose they’re both. “I do not know many who prefer the taste of…sea-men, as you say.” You don’t look at her. You keep your gaze solely on task. “Though a different story can be told of sailors.”

Rhaenyra shifts her whole body toward you, tilting her head and smirking lightly in a less-than-subtle investigation. “Do you like it?”

You purse your lips, considering your options.Your belly churns. “Would it be rude not to answer, my princess?”

She hums. “Well, it is generally frowned upon to disobey your masters.” She doesn’t want to pressure you, but she’s far too intrigued now to let it go. She doesn’t quite know why.

You sigh gently, thinking for a moment. She’s right. You try to find solace in the fact that you don’t think she’s the type to look down upon you and order your execution because of your…your perversions.

You’d hoped to keep it secret forever. You’ve even tried to fix yourself of your sickness, but you’ve found that it is something that cannot be done.

“Truthfully…” you mutter, your heart aching in a sad way, “No, Your Highness, I do not like…” you’re getting a bit exhausted of the metaphor but you would rather not change to practical terms when talking to the princess, “...sea-men.”

She looks away from you, and you’re grateful for it because you can pretend to busy yourself again. “I suppose that’s understandable enough. They can be quite salty in nature.”

Gods be good.

“Yes. Quite,” you mumble dismissively. You know you shouldn’t ask, but it’s eating away at you. You could be in danger… “If you don’t mind my asking, Princess, where did Ser Laenor hear such a rumor?”

She tries not to make a joke about his tastes. “Who knows where he finds his gossip?” You hum in agreement to dismiss it.

Rhaenyra’s curiosity is probably what got the better of her. She didn't fully intend to ask, but Laenor's words from below are stuck in her head. “Why don't you ask her yourself?”

“I wonder what fun it could truly be.” She waves a hand, taking a sip from her near forgotten tea. “Seeing as it could only be used for fun in this instance; there's no duty without the injection.”

You swallow thickly. “I wouldn't say simply fun.” You shouldn't say anything at all. “Though it does remove transaction from the activity.” You sigh, faltering to keep up the ruse with your unnecessary feathering of clean shelves. You turn toward her, running your fingers through the slightly dusty feathers. “With something like this, there must be trust.”

Rhaenyra watches you closely, the way you speak of it. It's more blatant than you should be in this circumstance, but she's not really focused on that when she's too busy studying the crease between your brows or the softness of your lips.

“Without trust, there is no fun or intimacy in it. Without fun or intimacy, there is no pleasure. You must be willing to give up a part of yourself and accept a part of someone else.”

There's a silence where you watch each other. You're quick to realize your mistake as you physically take a step back, looking down at your feet and hiding your embarrassment. She doesn't say anything, she just watches you with this look you can't decipher.

“Forgive me, Princess.” You bow your head and drop your hands by your side. You turn quickly, unsure what else to do. “In truth, I simply worry for the girl. She could be in quite a lot of danger if she were to be exposed. I shall pray to the Mother for her safety.”

You should leave. You've likely overstayed your welcome.

Rhaenyra breaks away from her thoughts, trying to organize them as she sits a little straighter. She sets her cup down on the table before her. She hums, trying to be light-hearted again but failing with the way her head is so full of your words. “‘Tis a shame, really,” she clears her throat, “that such a thing is of such offense.” She takes a breath and stands, just to give her something to do as she circles the sofa and leans against it.

“Pleasure is pleasure. Who should care where a man chooses to stick it? Or, perhaps, where a woman…” she falters. “Well, we don't have anything to stick, do we?” She should forget about it. “I simply wonder how…the deed is done without the…tool.” She decides she just likes to hear you speak.

“Well…” you still don't watch her, though you hesitate in the middle of your task, “I would not believe it to be as difficult as it would seem.” You take up a light blanket to fold.

She raises a brow. “Is that so?” She strokes the back of the couch with a ring-clad hand. “Tell me, how do you suppose it's done?”

“Princess?”

She shrugs in faux innocence. “I'm simply curious. Of course, if you have other duties to tend to.”

What she's proposing has no shortage of lack of propriety. It would be even worse if you responded. But…

Your gaze drifts down to her hand, a stray thought in your mind imagining the fabric was your flesh. When she squeezes lightly, you hate that you imagine her hands wrapping around your thigh…just to feel.

It is generally frowned upon to disobey your masters.

You swallow a lump in your throat, that you assume is nerves over want. It cannot be want.

“Well…if I had to guess, I would assume she could use,” you hesitate, “her hands.”

Rhaenyra doesn't have the thought to raise a curious brow. Her face doesn't change much as she stares at you, strangely hooded as you pass it on for confusion instead of what you recognize it to be.

“Just the same as a man could…” your words become a little quieter, “...or rather, as a man chooses not to, in my experience.”

Rhaenyra inches closer. It doesn't register. “How would she use them?” How could her voice be so smooth? It's like a layer of velvet on your skin, and you don't know how to manage that.

“Any way she saw fit.” You hadn't expected your voice to dip as it had, a richer tone influenced by the way she watches you. You hadn't realized the way your finger dipped between the fold of the blanket you've been holding for the last couple minutes. “You could just feel, massage, you could.. You could use them in place of a man's tool. Of course, they would not eject.”

Her chuckle is so shallow, with no real intent to emphasize humor. Her thoughts are confusing.

“No, I suppose not,” she mutters. She steps even closer, tilting her head. “Would her hands be all she would use?”

It's a strange thing, knowing more than the princess—informing the princess on what you know. She listens with such curiosity, such interest. You have to stifle the pull in your chest. It isn't proper. You shouldn't be telling her about any of this—it isn't proper.

But you carry on because you can't help it. Not when she looks at you like that.

You lick your bottom lip absently. “Well, if they were, my princess, what would be the point of the taste for sailors? Rather than simply the touch of them? Women often prefer a sailor’s salty taste. Some men have an indulgence for, not just the bee, but the honey, too.”

You hadn't realized you'd both gotten so close. She's only a few feet from you now, staring at you with eyes that should not be regarding you in such a way. “And if you had a taste for honey? How would you indulge?”

“Frequently.” Rhaenyra had not meant to gasp the way she did. It's soft and barely audible, but you catch it. It's hard to miss anything when she's so close, staring you in the eyes, running her fingers together with gentle brushes of skin.

You break the heavy eye contact with a glance down. “But I assume that would pose a challenge, as not many bees prefer their honey to be tasted by other bees, especially if not by a man.” You shake your head, looking back at her with a new kind of certainty. “No, many bees prefer the sailor and their sea.”

You hate the gods for making you as they did, but sometimes you hate them for making everyone else as they are instead. If you had to come out so wrong, why could no one else join you?

Rhaenyra can see this in your eyes. It's just a little glint, but she recognizes the same look in her husband from time to time. The difference is that he's allowed his indulgences in secret. You must have more trouble. Women always have more trouble…

Her breath is light when she breathes. “And what if one was willing to try?”

You look at her quickly, eyes wide and a little skeptical. “To try, Princess?”

“The indulging.” The step she takes is long. She stands right before you now, hardly a foot away. “Or even allowing one a taste of it? Say this…servant girl, perhaps?”

You squeeze your thighs together, though you don't mean to. She's a very intimidating person, and it makes you falter in your reasoning for why all of this is a terrible idea.

“I'd say…maybe she'd agree.” She's so close. If you took a step, leaned in just a bit…

“But there are many things to consider.” You step around her, ridding yourself of the closeness to put space between you. This is dangerous, she is dangerous. The way she looks at you, the way she makes you feel. It's not fair, and it's not right.

She spins around, dizzy from the sudden break in tension. “What sort of things?”

You drop the blanket on a chair and run your hands down your apron, an attempt to center yourself. “Things like…like whether or not this woman, potentially even a princess so interested in tasting, has a husband? A royal one, at that?” You shake your head. “This servant could be killed.”

Rhaenyra sighs, waving a hand as she looks upon your back. “If a person was killed every time they tried other indulgences, we would have very few people left in the world.”

You turn toward her, but make no move to come closer. “Even still.”

“What if this princess,” she closes the distance again, this time scooping your hands into her own. Her hands are very warm, much warmer than your own. They are only contrasted by the chill of golden rings. It's inviting as you try not to lean into her touch. You can't look at her. You're already breaking so many rules by letting her touch you. You're breaking rules by talking of such things with her.

“What if she were to tell the servant that her royal husband has his own tastes to favor? Not in bees, but in sailors?”

Royal husbands are a much different standard than lowly servants. But the only thing in your mind with such a proposal is, “And what if the princess dislikes the servant's work?”

You shudder when her warm palm envelopes your cheek. Your eyes flutter, and you look into her eyes. What a temptress she is, to look at you like that. To look so deeply into your eyes that you falter every time you come from a blink.

This is one of the only times when you're grateful for your sickness. If you had not been the way you were, her beauty would be so ordinary to you. She is anything but.

“Then she shall decide for herself.”

Your voice is so soft now, afraid to rupture this feeling between you. You feel manipulated, but you can't bring yourself to mind. If your roles had been reversed, you'd likely do the same.

“What if something happens?” You raise a hand to cover the back of hers. “If someone sees? There are many things to be considered.”

Her hand slips down from your cheek to grasp your chin between her forefinger and thumb. “If you wish not to continue, then you may yo. But it's as you said…” she's so close, you can feel her shallow breath on your lips, “this requires trust.”

Your eyes dart between her own, taking in every feature of her face. Gods, how beautiful is she?

She leans in, tilting her head in such a way that you become dizzy. “Will you put your trust in your princess?”

How could you refuse?

“Yes.”

“Then who's to say it's wrong?”

Your breaths mingle. She leans in quickly, and your breath hitches in anticipation of the kiss. Just as they barely brush, she pulls back again. It becomes this dance, a back-and-forth, push-and-pull. You know she's playing with you, and you invite her in full compliance. You would be her court jester if only she asked.

When she kisses you, it's maddening. Your thoughts are blurred in a swirling motion in your head. Your ears become fuzzy, your lungs already ache. You breathe her essence in through your nose and out through your mouth as she pulls you in by the back of your neck. She tastes of sweet wine, of grapes and blueberries.

Your hands grasp at her sides, pulling at the fabric wrapped securely around her body. “Princess,” you gasp against her lips.

You feel her lips curl against your own, her smirk fueling a fire between the both of you. “Shh,” she says between kisses. Her palms cup your face, her lidded eyes taking in the sight of you so close. “Just show me how you do it.”

You lean in to gather her lips again, your breaths heavy between you. You walk her back, pushing her up against the wall as your hands explore the length of her body. Your lips trail over her own, kissing the corner of her mouth and slipping down to her neck. Your teeth nip at her skin, your tongue laps, your lips suck. Her eyes flutter closed as she leans into it. Her hands grip your arms and beg you not to go.

You pull away from her then, your bodies still flush against one another as you take in the sight of her. Her eyes are of lavender, her skin is of ivory, her hair is of silkweed. She’s dripped in maroon and pearls. As you brush your knuckles down her cheek, smiling as you move to kiss her again.

There’s a soft smack of your lips as you pull away. Pinching her chin between your fingers as she had done yours, you whisper so closely to her lips that they brush with each word. “You are so beautiful, my princess.”

She stares at you. She had been called beautiful before. She has known intimacy and she has known passion, but there is something in the way that you speak to her that has her chest aching. A heavy breath puffs shallowly from her mouth.

Before she says anything, you kiss her again as your hand reaches down to collect fistfulls of fabric. You press a kiss to her collarbone, nipping lightly as her breath hitches. You slip to your knees, dipping your hands beneath her dress and pressing your hands to the thinly veiled skin of her legs. Her stockings stop just above her knee, tied neatly that morning while she was readying herself for the day.

She watches you, her eyes dark but so intently focused on you. You look up at her as you ride her dress, layer upon layer, up the length of her body. She reaches down and captures it, holding it in her hands and relieving you of the duty.

You’re holding your breath when you lean in to press a chaste kiss to the inside of her thigh. Her skin is so warm. If she had not been so soft, too, you would have wondered if she’d really been a dragon all along. You cup the back of her thigh in your hand, stroking up and down and enjoying the feeling of such smooth flesh.

You shift her leg over your shoulder, turning your head to kiss her thigh again. Her breath, although thick and shallow, is such a gentle thing. She never tears her gaze away. Her hips jerk lightly when your excitement manifests in little nips into her skin. There’s a pleasant feeling that stems from it.

“Must you tease?” Rhaenyra huffs, though not of any real offense. Her chest rises and falls like she’s ready to burst. A swell of pride blooms in your chest at the knowledge that she could be so aching for your touch.

“Apologies, Princess,” you smile, raising a tentative hand farther up the side of her thigh to bring her closer. You move so slowly as you inch toward her, this aching need which you have yet to see but can smell so dearly. “May I?” you whisper, so softly that you are almost unheard.

Her leg shifts to push her heel into your shoulder blade, not roughly but in a way to induce haste. She brings you just a bit closer, dipping her head. “You may.”

Just as soon as the permission leaves her throat, you attach yourself to her. You dip your tongue between her folds. You lick and suckle around her pearl. Arousal has already seeped from her need and is painting your tongue.

Rhaenyra’s hips cant forward, and there's a slight shudder. As one of her hands desperately grasps at her dress, the other reaches down to card through your hair.

You flick your tongue along the seam of her cunt. You really had chosen the right word—honey. She tastes sweet, a filling nectar you would die to feast upon.Rhaenyra is eager to feel it all, amazed by how wonderful you are at this, better than even Ser Criston Cole—who had always been very eager to taste her in her youth.

She supposes it shouldn’t be so surprising. You both have the same parts, it would only make sense that you knew how to use them. Your dull nails dig into her ass, bringing her forward as you both rock against one another. Her moan catches in her throat, and her hand reaches forcefully out to take hold of the table at her side. She grips it tight in order to keep herself up, looking down at you as her chest struggles to keep up with her lust.

“You are very eager to please,” her voice shakes.

You stroke your tongue along the length of her cunt, pressing a messy kiss into her pearl as you pull back just enough to speak. “That is not a difficult feat when you taste as good as you do.” A rough kind of whine slips when you suck around her pearl. “I was right about the honey.”

She smiles in the middle of the rock of her hips. “I might have to taste a sample myself. Just to check. Ah–!” Her hand flies out to take hold of your hair again, just to ground herself when you lap your tongue inside of her. “Right there,” she groans, her voice lower now with the coming of her relief. “Oh, gods, don’t stop.”

You focus on her pearl now, lapping and laving at it with all the strength you have left in your tongue. It’s a bit tired from the work, but it’s a good kind of feeling when you’re being rewarded so generously. The fat of her thigh is a welcomed weight on your shoulder, an even better weight in your hand as you stroke your hand up and down the length of it. You squeeze it in fervent desire.

You can feel her clenching against your tongue, her hips become more jerky with their movement. You hum into her, anticipating her release as much as she does. Her breath stalls in her chest as it builds and builds.

Right as she's at the cusp, you murmur against her pearl. “Breathe, Princess.”

Just as she takes a breath, a crashing wave rolls over her. She trembles against you, gasping as her head whirls with the weight of her release. You hold her steady, lapping up the precious taste of her cunt with a desperate need. She jerks forward when you suckle gently on her sensitive pearl.

When the rush dies down to something a little easier, her breaths become deeper as a drunken smile finds her lips. “I could certainly make this a habit.”

You press your mouth into her thigh, laying a sweet kiss upon her skin. “Tis likely to be a bad one.”

She shakes her head, moving her leg off your shoulder and lifting you to stand with a curled finger under your chin. “Nothing bad about it.” She leans in, her lips hovering.

You pull away by the slightest inch, watching her gentle eyes. “Did I do well, my princess?” You lift your hand to cautiously rest at her back, your fingers curling through silver locks. “Have I pleased you?”

There's something about you that makes her head spin. “Yes, darling,” she rasps. “You are magnificent.”

You smile like she's given you an incredible gift, accepting her kiss with a similar enthusiasm than you'd accepted the honey between her plush thighs. You're needy in gluing your lips to hers, wrapping your arms around her waist and pulling her against you by the small of her back.

She eases your mouth from hers, her breath short from the greatness of your desire. “You can call me Rhaenyra. I feel we've reached the point where such formalities are no longer necessary.”

You chuckle breathily. “Of course, Princess.”

She pinches your chin. “Go sit.” She lets go of you.

Just for the humor, you dip into a curtsy, looking up through your lashes as you do. “Yes, my princess.”

You turn and walk toward the sofa, sitting with your legs pressed together and your hands upon your lap. She watches you for a moment, doing nothing but watching. Your humor is dissipating as you look away, unable to take the heat of her gaze.

“Does it make you nervous when I stare, sweetling?” she asks gently.

You nod. “A bit, yes.”

She takes a step closer. “Do not be nervous. I won't hurt you.”

“I know.”

She moves toward you, and you peek up at her with eyes wide in anticipation. She comes to stand in front of you, standing tall in all her glory and regality. She's ethereal, especially with the way the golden light of the evening is peering in through the windows.

She bends down, her hands on either side of your head as she boxes you in. You lose your breath. You don't think you'll ever be able to stand her being this close to you.

She kisses you. “Spread your legs for me.” You're shy, but you do as she asks. Your thighs inch farther apart as you indulge in the taste of her lips. Her hand cups your throat. Your breath stalls, and then starts again to inhale more of her.

You feel her palm trail down the column of your neck, her fingers tickling your throat. She moves down your front before she's riding the skirt of your dress and apron up your legs. When her hand touches your bare thigh, your hips jerk slightly. She shushes against your lips, moving closer and closer until her hand is cupping the wet of your cunt.

“Gods, you're dripping.” You want to say something, but you can't. Her middle finger sinks between your lips, parting them to make way for her intrusion. You clamp down on her finger, your hips rolling against her hand already.

She strokes inside of you, curling her finger and coaxing you closer. When she adds the second, a slight hum slips from her throat. You reach out, grabbing a hold of her arm.

“A little deeper,” you guide gently, tilting your hips up. When she adjusts, your head spins. “Fuck, Princess, right there.”

She focuses there, hovering over you as she presses her lips to your forehead, to lips, the tip of your nose. “Do you like that?” she huffs.

You nod, holding her arm tighter. “Yes. Yes, my princess.”

She dips her head down to your neck, and you whimper when she nips at your flesh. “You'll have to guide me,” she whispers into your ear.

You're a bit confused as she removes her fingers from you. You stifle your whine, watching with bated breath as this princess, the heir to the Targaryen throne, kneels before you. Her handmaiden. A lowly servant who was meant to stay beneath her.

She eases your leg over your shoulder just as you had done before. She presses her mouth against your thigh, kissing it and licking her lips. She looks you in the eyes, smirking as she brings her fingers to her mouth. She dips them between her lips, and the sigh that parts your lips leaves you breathless. She hums deeply. “I can see why you called it honey.”

You chuckle lightly. When Rhaenyra’s lips wrap around your cunt, you whimper. You're careful in setting your hand at the side of her head, carding your fingers through her hair. You don't grasp her, you don't guide her. You just hold her as you watch her with hooded eyes and parted lips.

She sucks on your folds, flicking her hot tongue along the seam of your cunt and slipping it inside clumsily. Either way, it's nice. It's not often you get attention like this, and from a princess?

“Up a little more, princess.” Your voice is light and high with pleasure. When she does as you say, your sigh is tinted with a whine. “Good. Right there.”

She suckles lightly at your pearl, licking and tasting with a curious intent. Her fingers prod at your pussy again, and you arch your back when she presses two inside.

Rhaenyra is a quick learner. Her pace is steady as she curls her fingers, coaxing them in and out of you with an eagerness that you had displayed before. Her lips and tongue work at your pearl, licking and sucking and making you feel like you'll burst any second.

“Please, don't stop,” you gasp. “You're amazing.”

There's a certain power in having someone desire you, blubbering with pleasure and begging for more. It goes straight to her head. She thrusts her fingers into you as though she wielded her own cock, she laps at your slick like she's been deprived of water for far too long. She huffs and groans, drunk on the taste of you, on the pleasure.

You've never met a woman so eager to please another. When they're not shy about indulging in something so forbidden, they're too used to professionalism to initiate intimacy. Having this kind of desire is hard and it's depriving. If Rhaenyra keeps this up, you'll make the mistake of falling utterly in love with her.

You bite your lip, trying to keep quiet to keep from alerting the knight at the door. The walls are thick, no one should hear you.

“I'm so close,” you whisper, rolling your hips in your haste to come. “Please, my princess, don't stop.”

When she hums, it comes with a desperate sort of sound. Your thighs tremble around her head, trying not to close her in. You become dizzy, your head spins with the weight of her pleasure. Your eyes squeeze shut and–

“Princess,” you bring a hand to your mouth, breathing heavily into your palm. Your hips roll and your mind whirls with the sensations of her lips sucking on your pulsing pearl, spurring you on and on. Her finger curls against a deep spot within you that has you seeing stars behind your eyes. “Fuck, Rhaenyra,” you curse, whimpering under your breath and losing composure.

Her hand slips out of you just to grasp your backside, pulling you in and devouring you as you continue to become slick with arousal. Her nose presses into your pearl when her tongue is too busy at your folds. Her warm breath fans over your skin in such a delicious way.

When your trembling has subsided, she eases away from you with a huff. She's got a drunken smile on her lips, her pupils blown wide and your eyes dark with pleasure. “I see why you enjoy that so much.”

You smile, catching your breath as she breaks away from you to crowd your space once more. Your tongue is heavy, and your words are sticky. You look at her like you'll be shattered if you don't hear what you want to hear. “Did I do well, my princess?”

She smiles, raising a hand to stroke your cheek with gentle knuckles. “You are perfect.” The look on your face is devastating. There's a bursting joy in your eyes, a kind of joy that only comes when it's been met with a considerable amount of sorrow.

She tilts your chin up, embracing you in a different kind of kiss. This one is all for you. She kisses you like she wants you to know something that she doesn't know how to say aloud, like she's telling you a secret that only you could ever understand.

She pulls away, still cupping your cheek. You swallow thickly, watching her and taking in every little feature of her face before you're forced to keep your head down once more.

“Will you regret it?” Your voice is so small that she almost misses it. If her nose had not still been brushing yours, she would have. “When I leave, and you've had the night to contemplate… will you regret letting me touch you? Will you regret…touching me?”

She wonders briefly who hurt you. You are such a good woman. You are loyal and eager to please. Not to mention, you are utterly beautiful.

She doesn't know quite how to navigate this. So instead, she sighs as she looks upon your face. Worry and doubt creases every little feature that lies there. She presses a kiss to your forehead, over the crease between your brows.

“No, sweet girl.”

You blink, taking her answer for what it is as you smile. “Okay,” you whisper.

She leans in to kiss you. There's a knock on the door.

Rhaenyra sighs, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips and straightening her back. “A moment.” She holds a hand for you, and you take it as she brings you to stand.

“Finish your work…” She pauses. “Will I see you again soon?”

You smile, nodding gently. “If my princess commands it.”

Her smirk soon follows. “She does.” She knows she's taking too long. “Goodbye, my darling.”

You nod. “Goodbye, my princess.”

You linger too long. You are wasting time. You break away from her, grabbing your tray of dishes, stacking her cold tea on top. When she's sure you're both decent, she sighs.

“Come.”

As the door opens, you give a curtsy. “Princess.”

She nods, but it's such a small movement that you'd question if she'd already forgotten you if you knew she wasn't doing it for appearances.

As you walk down the hall, you glance up when you see Ser Laenor walking toward you. You look up at him, pausing to curtsy.

He looks at you, giving you a smile that makes you nervous as he fully stops. You think you hear him sniff, and then his smile grows into something more mischievous. With a quiet chuckle, he wags his finger at you before turning on his heel to continue to—you assume to be—Rhaenyra’s chambers.

You continue walking, slowly this time as you try to figure out why he would react in such a way. You guide your nose toward your shoulder and almost freeze in place.

Gods be good… You smell like her.

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[ruegarding]

Wait what's the tea on Wotg makin' Percabeth even worse? /gen /nf

tldr; rick is continuing his trend of having annabeth imply that she thinks her bf is stupid (u can see what i mean by trend here). this is coupled w a lot of ableism: acting like percy is too stupid to function and removing annabeth's disabilities so she can be a girl boss while refusing to address their mental health. this is supposed to make percabeth look cute, somehow, but instead comes off as mean-spirited at best.

first, to establish context, percy's incredibly overworked,

(he's also on the swim team) and bc of this percy is falling asleep in class and waking up in a panic. this is never addressed seriously despite being a series abt disability. as if that wasn't enough, percy also is never shown to enjoy any of his classes and is frequently written to be stuggling w his grades, just in case u forgot he was stupid (he also is written w the ableist stereotype of being lazy abt school work, too, instead of, you know, disabled). his main motivation is that annabeth will be successful with or without him so he better not be a stupid failure.

completely ignoring percy was the one who wanted to go to nru. also, zero mentions for the accommodation percy is receiving for his disabilities (nor annabeth's, but she's written like they don't exist so).

and then percy says that annabeth's friend, hana, doesn't like him bc she doesn't think he's good enough for annabeth, going on to think yeah that's fair. this is never addressed bc it's supposed to be a cute percabeth and #girl boss annabeth moment. then percy makes a joke (?) that annabeth's friends are gossiping abt how annabeth can stand to date him when he's too stupid to understand architecture when percabeth walks away to talk. this is not a percabeth win and i'm genuinely not sure how anyone on rick's team thought it was.

then there's this:

just in case u forgot, percy is the stupid one and annabeth is the smart one. teehee.

and, in relation to ignoring their mental health, annabeth talks abt putting spider webs all over hecate's mansion (bc she wants to make a haunted house), which rick says is ok bc it's not spiders. except part of annabeth's huge traumatic fight w arachne was being covered in spiderwebs that literally pulled her into tartarus. so. weird plotline. similarly, percy has a bit abt having nightmares abt cereberus, which is equally stupid. i talked abt it here. not necessarily percabeth but worth mentioning for context. oh, and percy also bodily-fluid-bends later in the book w no comment except annabeth's shocked expression. correction: while percy does bodily-fluid-bend w no fanfare, annabeth is not there. percy poison-bends in front of annabeth w no comment.

rick then keeps poking fun at how percy and annabeth would make great parents. which. they're seventeen. btw. but yeah anyway percy would make a great dad bc he's got the funny dad jokes (bc he's stupid. haha get it). annabeth would make a great mom bc she's soooooo nurturing what w taking care of a puppy who decides to call her mom and taking care of her stupid idiot useless boyfriend. i wish this was a joke. more on this later.

the line "[annabeth] looked surprised—me comforting her, kind of switching things up" is self explanatory and written specifically to piss me off.

this passage,

which sucks for many reasons, but especially bc this is rick trying to rewrite book canon w show canon despite very easy ways to include this without acting like percy is an idiot who just didn't notice for the past THREE BOOK SERIES (like a war that took place recently where chiron was injured idk just an idea). instead, percy has to take the fall for rick's error and annabeth has to act like her bf is the stupidest person on earth.

btw, did i mention that annabeth is ahead in her classes and percy sucks at school? teehee.

wow, it's like annabeth's dyslexia isn't even there!

now, it may seem that i'm exaggerating percy's incompetence.

this is a real quote from the book.

so is this!

and this.

and—u get the point. rick is acting like percy hasn't outsmarted his opponents bc his personality is stupid and annabeth's personality is reduced down to having the brain cell.

then, percy has a moment where his empathy shines thru and he's allowed to succeed at something (for the first time in the book), except he has to put himself down to make annabeth feel better. bc we can't have percy feeling good abt himself since it makes annabeth look bad. or something. idk.

again, there is no exploration of percy's self-esteem or their myriad of trauma.

to make up for all the times percy was treated like an idiot, annabeth says percy is "a pretty smart guy,"

which is a surprise to her despite them having known each other for five years.

furthermore, rick is writing percy w a sort of incompetence towards household tasks that is, quite frankly, sexist. here is a good post on how it mirrors weaponized incompetence and here is another one abt the disturbing nature of mom-ifying annabeth. i should make it clear annabeth provides percy food in multiple scenes while percy does adjacent to nothing. she also tucks him into bed like a child in one scene and gets nicknamed "mom" by a dog that pees on her (AND she cleans up the pee while percy does nothing).

so, wottg is essentially 300 pages of mean-spirited bullying from all sides. none of the humor shines through these jokes, none of the facetiousness, like hey isn't it funny that percy is really smart but sometimes completely oblivious, is there. there is no comedic disparity between percy's power and skill and his ability to trip over his feet bc there are no impressive feats of power and skill (anything that would count are immediately brushed off). comments abt percy learning to tie his own shoes w his newfound octopus tentacles don't land in a book where he's acting like he cannot have thoughts without annabeth. and there's no grace to be given bc at no point in any of this handled as a serious exploration of percy's insecurities despite the ample opportunity to do so.

then, when percy isn't being hounded w vitriol, annabeth is being reduced to a sexist caricature of a woman. it does not make percabeth look good in any way.

finally, i need to make it clear that however bad this breakdown makes the books seem, it is worse. i summarized and skipped over a ton of stuff for my own sanity.

[softringing]

There's always been a question that bugs me about sampo. Obviously, there are several, but this one specifically, has to do with his ideologies involving elation.

If sampo cares about people so much and desires to make everyone happy, why did he not take direct action in those 8 years he remained in belebog?

We all know sparkle said sampo has a line that he won't cross, and that line is very clearly not hurting people, well at least the ones who have already been hurt enough.

We see this from sampo's actions in the underworld vs overworld. For some reason, even tho sampo is a scammer and values money, he has never attempted to scam underworlders. In Hook's companion mission, hook's father had a rare mining item that was stolen by an npc named Skipper(?) I believe.

While Skipper was trying to sell this item to sampo, sampo kept insisting that he was selling it at such a low price. His direct words were "Are you sure you want to sell this at this price to me?"

And he kept hesitating until hook and tb found skipper and took the item back. We can see cleary that sampo means no harm to those who are weak but when he's in the overworld, he's known for scamming ppl like Chavez from Anti-Blue Scam Society without much remorse.

From all this, it's clear sampo has never done something to hurt anyone seriously, and to add to this, shields is the name for the belebog currency. Yet, in sampo's idle, we see him holding a different currency.

This pretty much implies that to sampo, belebogian currency would be useless. Although we know he's a scammer, we don't really know why he cares about money so much other than this text we got in game from him

Sampo seems personally tired of doing this :( but says that he has to to feed few mouths which we can take as him trying to help the ppl in the underworld with the money he 'earns'.

So, here we return to my initial question, why didn't sampo directly help ppl of belebog with their disaster if he has so much power?

He is hiding from a certain someone-- as mentioned by @/samposillies, in sampo's LC, the exact same currency he's holding is shown & his eidolon

(money model from @/kittykattz)

If u look really closely into his LC, you can see not only that it's from a POV of a sniper, but also another assasin behind sampo, holding a gun and wearing a foreign attire to belebog. The description also matches that someone's obviously trying to kill him, as told by the sniper himself.

At first, I assumed it was the ipc but their outfits lean towards red rather than plain black. Plus, although it looks like sampo isn't in belebog, there are two posters in the lc on the brick background and you can find these coffee posters in belebog at the location "Backwater pass".

But the thing is, sampo uses the non-belebogian currency (assumed to be Kalevalan currency) to convince the sniper to talk to him.

The lc's name is Eye of the Prey-- and although it's from sniper's POV, Sampo is clearly the Hunter, while the sniper is the prey.

This led me to think that someone from Kalevala is perhaps trying to kill sampo while he was in belebog, which is strange bc the world believed Jarilo-IV did not exist before the astral express saved them. Meaning that whoever is trying to kill sampo probably always knew about his whereabouts hence sampo decided to keep a low profile and decided to help underworlders in such a silent approach.

Not to mention, the currency sampo's holding doesn't have the usual hsr language on it (pointed out by @/samposillies)

(maybe it needs horizontal flipping ill check it later)

Therefore, we can assume sampo didn't help belebogians directly by bringing an end to the stelleron bc he's being chased by someone. and even tho sampo appears non-chalant or calm about it in his lc, maybe he just doesn't want that person to come and specifically show up in belebog.

We don't know why that person's trying to kill sampo but there are lots of reasons, just like the fact that sampo is LITERALLY the 'device' from Kalevala as referenced in his event. He CAN legit create ancient relics,

he laughs it off as a typo BUT HE CAN CLEARLY MAKE THESE RELICS!! GEPARD ALSO MENTIONS IN HIS LINES ABT HIM THAT HE SELLS A NUMBER OF ANCIENT RELICS!!

"ancient" MEANS OLDDD, like really old!! How can a normal person make such things?? Not to mention sampo can make his bombs and is immune to their poison and a MEMORY bubble (in autheirum wars), which had the description of being "abnormal or unusual"!! Only memokeepers can make memory bubbles, and herta has several of them in her space station. So he either stole one or knows how to make one himself!! Sampo also made those items in his pop-up shop event with some materials the tb brought so there's no doubt he's the object that's supposed to 'bring wealth'.

Or could it be that sampo is like Giovanni? He prefers natural endings rather than artificial ones? he's still a masked fool no matter how different his aesthetics are after all... LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK!!

Edit: Here's the flipped image of his money but I still can't read what it's supposed to mean and tried to google translate in Finnish but didn't. Work

[pangaeaseas]

dumbledore revealing Snape as his spy after the end of the first war is so interesting and so reflective of his character: it's an act of mercy and also a saw trap. BC I doubt anyone else, or any other strategy, would have been able to get Snape out of Azkaban: the other death eaters would be focused on saving their own skins, and without the protection of being a Death Eater Snape becomes just another poor half-blood, probably the exact kind of person who would make an easy scapegoat for Death Eater activity (in scapegoat terms he's just like Sirius! For different reasons obviously. See my Sirius the perfect scapegoat meta). So Snape is spared the horrors of Azkaban. BUT: Dumbledore burning Snape as a spy--in full knowledge of two things, that Snape is more motivated now than ever to attack Voldemort after Lily is dead, and that Voldemort hasn't been fully defeated, means that Snape MUST become a double agent. Otherwise he will be useless in the next conflict --a spy in Voldemort's ranks is much more valuable than another fighter, even one as skilled as Snape, and I think at this point in his life he would have wanted to cause the most damage to Voldemort by any means necessary. And being a double agent is no perfect redemption: it means having to betray both sides of the war. Snape can never be fully welcomed into the Order's side because every Order member knows he might have to get them killed so Voldemort will trust him. So by being revealed as Dumbledore's spy, Dumbledore ensures Snape will never have a full place on either side of British society.

[foreverlqrk]

I feel like something no one talks about is how little Peeta valued his life throughout all three of the books

In the first book when he gets reaped. He is so focused on saving Katniss’s life that he had no thoughts to save himself. He was willing to take on Cato and risk loosing his life when he very much could have ran to save himself. Just so that Katniss could live. Later when he and Katniss team up he is determined to not let Katniss risk her life for him. Bc he can’t stand the thought of her dead and him alive. Then after it’s announced that only one victor can win. He without a second thought. Takes a knife and tries to k1ll himself. And Katniss has to shoot it out of his hand. Then he tries to undo his tourniquet to he can bleed to death. And Katniss is trying to tie it back up into order to save Peeta from himself.

In catching fire when it’s announced that the victors will be forced to go back into the arena. The first thing that Peeta thinks of and wants is to go back into the arena to save Katniss. And in the meantime, ending his life. He was legit begging to Haymitch to let him die in the arena to save Katniss, and Haymitch himself. Showing how little he Cared for himself. And don’t get me started with the scene on the beach now I feel like everyone thinks of this scene as a cute Everlark moment (don’t get me wrong it definitely is) but also Peeta says in this scene that “no one needs me” like imagine a 17 year old boy with the constant thought in his head that no one needs him and he should just die to save the person he loves. Like it’s absolutely heartbreaking to see how little he cares abt his own life

And don’t even get me started on mockingjay. During that one scene where he was able to fight the brainwashing, does he fight to escape and fight for his own life. Nope. He warns Katniss and district 13 abt the bombing. Not caring what letting go of this information does to him. Which we know in the books was a very brutal punishment for Peeta. Again showing how he cared more for others than himself. during the time where Katniss was plotting to kill president snow where Peeta was forced to tag along. Even though he wasn’t fully recovered. Does he hate on Katniss when he doesn’t go all mutt. No instead he hates on himself. He begs the group multiple times that he is just a mutt and they need to kill him. He believes that he would be better off dead and him being alive would slow the group down. I’ll remind you all that HE WAS 17 AND WAS CONSTANTLY WISHING HE WAS DEAD. He also was actively h4rming himself when he was digging his hands into the cuffs which in the end risked him getting blood poisoning. and during the stay with me always scene. Peeta is screaming at the group to leave him and that he is a mutt and nothing else. It’s Katniss who saves him from himself when she asked him to stay with her. And when Peeta says always. It gives us the impression that maybe Peeta can find something to live for after all. Katniss was able to show Peeta all throughout this book series that his life was worth it. So yeah I will never stop arguing that everlark is the best couple to ever exist.

So overall is honestly so heartbreaking to see how Peeta valued his life so little throughout these books. Caring about everyone else before himself. Again this mindset could have come from his mother who after years of telling Peeta that he was useless (she called Peeta a useless creature🥺) this could have had major affects on him (I hate Mrs. Mellark with a burning passion)

Im so glad that Peeta got the ending he deserved and found a reason to live.y BBY truly deserved the world 🥺

[low-budget-korra]

Let's talk about how the Avatar creators don't know how to handle their own creation

Yes, I will forever be thankful for atla and tlok existence but I can't ignore how much they changed in the way they treat their own characters. Especially the women and the dark skinned ones

And yes, who am I to think I know more about the character than the ppl who wrote them? I know. But I just can't witness without saying anything

1. Katara in tlok

No, I didn't want her to fight and get her ass beat like Zuko. She is an old lady after all. And even tho I still think it's believable that after she got pregnant, she stepped out of the fight path and became a full time mom, bc I think it makes sense that she decided to be for her children the mother that she didn't have. But...

In Republic City see Aang big ass statue, we see Zuko's, we see Toph's, we see Sokka's, so where the hell is Katara's? In Jinora 's tattoo ceremony, where is Katara? It's like they forgot her existence sometimes.

What's her legacy in tlok? We see that Sokka was a respectable council, Toph was a respectable chef of police, Zuko regained the honor of his nation (we see there's no prejudice against firebenders, and ppl from Fire Nation) and Aang...well I don't even need to tell about. But where is Katara legacy?

And Suki...poor Suki tho. She is not even mentioned

2. Kuruk

As much as Kyoshi novels gave him more depth and cleaned his legacy. We need more about him. He is the Avatar ( apart from Wan and now Korra) that deals with the spirits. A book or a show about him, focusing on the spirits lore would do wonders for the Avatarverse.

He is prob the most underrated Avatar. Most of the randoms and even some fans still have this idea that he was a bad Avatar bc he only wanted to party and all. And Bryke does NOTHING to give him lore, to give him the attention he deserves.

Why they greenlight the Roku novels? The new show it seems that will deal a lot with spirits so why they choose Roku instead of a Kuruk novel where they could deep dive into this and prepare the fans for the new show? Make it make sense.

They don't care if ppl think Kuruk is useless. But they cared about Roku jokes enough to make him a novel and making him powerful

Ps: I know Bryke is not the one that wrote the novels but they are for sure the ones that approve or disapprove what's in them and which Avatar will have their novel and which will not

3. Korra

They don't hide anymore how much they hate Korra. Since Avatar became popular again, Korra suffered even more hate bc of this generation of incels and Bryke chose to please them instead of the fans. How long we don't have Korra content? The 10y anniversary went by and they didn't even make a post about it. No hq (apart from Mako and Bolin one that's was announced), no novel, no official art, no movie... Nothing. They want to erase her.

Not only this,but also shit on her legacy. And yeah, let's give the brown bissexual character who suffered unnecessary hate, more "reason" for ppl to hate her and bully her fandom 👍. A fandom that is full of woc and lgbt - two groups of ppl who already suffer hate just for exist.

"oh but they say she is the strongest Avatar ever" I DONT GIVE A FUCK. All I wanted (and all of a lot of fans wanted) is for them to treat her with respect and decency. Just like they treat Aang, Zuko, Toph, Sokka... They making her be the strongest is a "shut up" for her fans not to complain Abt them destroying her legacy

4. The disconnection with the fandom

With this show, they don't want to please the fans. They want to please the random audience, the one that jumps from show to show without joing the fandom. And this is bad because the Avatar Studios is not solidified in the industry yet. They need the Adult Gaang and the new show to be a success.

The problem is the majority of the fandom didn't want a new avatar right after Korra, I'm on other social medias, so other bubbles and I can guarantee this. Ppl wanted a show about Adult Gaang, older Korra, adaptation of Kyoshi and Yangchen novels, an new Avatar somewhere in the 10.000y cycle Wan started... Yet they choose none of this.

And why is it important to give the fans what they want now? Because this would allow AS to gain money and become a respectable studio, and only then go for more "dangerous" projects.

They want to please the fandom, the incels and the woke mob all at once and this never worked well. And they are about to retcon and prob pretend tlok didn't exist, just to please the incels

They recast all of the voices, and Aang's new VA is apparently pro-Israel. Like, they want to be "cool and representative" when casting only based on ethnicity but didn't bother to cast someone not pro genocide to play a genocide survivor? Talk about performative activism right there.

5. The Comics

I didn't read all of them but the ones I read show some of the worst mischaracterization I've seen. Asami, who never lost a fight and was always helpful, being a damsel in distress. Aang, one of the most emphatic characters of the Avatarverse showing empathy towards Ozai but not Azula? Pós book 4 Korra acting like b1 Korra, and getting her ass kicked by some random criminal? Azula being genuinely stupid? What the actual fuck?

Oh, and different from the Novels, the comics are written by at least one of the Bryke

----------------------------------------------------------

It's truly sad to see what they are doing with their creation and the fandom.

[psychhound]

the more i dm vs play other ttrpgs the more frustrated i get with how npcs work in 5e. my game centers around a small town with a recurring cast of npcs, as well as newly introduced npcs each arc that my players frequently adopt, and every time i open my Documents (tone: weary) filled with npcs i just wish 5e npcs were Built Different(tm) to pcs. obviously theres statblocks and stuff you can use but if youre working under the assumption these npcs are Full People who are going to take up space in the pcs lives youre going to be building them like you would a pc and frankly it sucks for a couple reasons

one, if i want to introduce a new batch of npcs of a level that will prove imposing for my pcs to fight, it shouldnt take me 10 hours to make them. two, once the fight is happening it would be great if they didnt have so many abilities and spells that im just hoping and praying i can make them function even a little smartly without grinding the whole fight to a halt every time its a spellcasters turn

and third, which i think deserves its own paragraph(s), i wish npcs didnt have the same set of skills that pcs get

i like trying to give my guys, pcs or npcs alike, pretty high mods on things, bc, you know, good for the game and also big numbers fun. but some skills are either inherently useless for an npc to have, or imply a loss of player agency if i was rolling them

like, charisma skills. deception is really useful for an npc to have, because then pcs have to roll insight against it to learn information. persuasion, however, is not something an npc should really ever roll. if theyre rolling persuasion on a pc, that player is experiencing a loss of agency over how their pc reacts to a request. if theyre rolling it on another npc, youre now just playing dollies with yourself while the pcs watch. if im ever choosing between persuasion and deception for an npc, im always going to give them proficiency in deception even if that makes less sense for their character. same problem for intimidation. either youre telling the pcs how to feel or playing dollies with yourself

stealth and sleight of hand are overall way more helpful for npcs than for pcs who arent rogues. and perception is far more useful for an npc to have than like ... survival. when are your npcs going to be rolling survival? if you have a ranger or ranger-like character whos helping your pcs navigate wilderness then why does it make more sense for them to be rolling survival and potentially mess up something they are meant to be good at, causing potentially unfun complications for your party, than just ... knowing that character can help them navigate, so they do? especially if thats the reason that npc is there?

idk like my players respond very well to the npcs being Full People and i do think theres a level of enjoyment to like. comparing pc and npc stats or players learning what feats an npc took or lore around subclasses but also. also im so miserly and decrepit and my google doc of my four bad guys this arc and their spells is 59 pages long im Tired Save Me

[bietrofastimoff23]

i don't know what the problem is to admit that aemond fucked up and for the most part it's his fault that he was left alone. he actively tried to destroy his own ally, his brother, which is why helaena has fair fears that he won't spare her either. he knew that aegon was the only available dragonrider that COULD and WANTED to fight, but he burned him anyway ("b-but sunfyre was useless." guys, this dragon, being disfigured and without half a wing, destroyed the other two, & daeron and tessarion, who was probably the youngest, were considered the main threat to rhaenyra at all. dragon is dragon, period). he sends criston (the main commander of the greens, who conquered several castles and forced them to kneel before aegon) and tyland on suicide missions (we know that they will be fine, but how do the characters themselves know this?). he insults larys (when he could have just refused outright) and does not want to listen to small council, which pushes jasper and larys to hide information about the new riders from him.

so yes, on one side, i sympathize with him, if only for the reason that he really feels something, unlike some characters. on the other side, he is now reaping the fruits of his own actions. it's stupid to deny it. he has fallen into the trap of his self-confidence, and further it will be shown more, and it will lead him to the final fall. i think it might be fascinating, bc i have a thing for heroes who become villains.

but my biggest regret in his arc is that they made the green brothers enemies. as if I hoped that they would be the last in whose relationship there would be a place for betrayal (don't worry, boys, you can gobble each other up and I'll still see it as a perverted toxic love lmao).

[eerna]

Gd fuck ok so

Your mom died while you were still a child and you were left with your heartbroken father and two younger sisters

Your dad loses his company and you're all forced into poverty

You're now running the household as the eldest, because your dad is fucking useless

Your youngest sister hates you for being a hardass bitch but as the eldest daughter you do not have time for this

Your youngest sister gets kidnapped by a faerie and you just have to go on with your life like she's dead, but in return you get lifted up out of poverty

Turns out your youngest sister isn't dead and she comes back, but then she voluntarily leaves again to go save the guy who kidnapped her in the first place

Like a year later you and your second sister are kidnapped, because your youngest sister is now dating a different faerie than the one that kidnapped her. Also your youngest sister is a faerie now.

You are forced to watch your second sister, currently engaged to the love of her live who is also a major faehater, be turned into a faerie. You are also forcibly turned into faerie, and you are so overcome with rage and spite that you steal power from g-d itself.

Your second sister is now mentally broken, while your youngest sister is flitting around the continent like she was born to be a faerie and there's some guy claiming to be your second sister's real true love. Also you're homeless now because you can't go back to the human world.

You're fucking pissed about all of this, for obvious reasons.

You get roped into saving the world and you know what fine you live here too or whatever. You save the world and also reconcile with your useless father. Everybody lives happily ever after, except for you and your second sister who were turned into fucking faeries

You are still fucking pissed, but now everyone is mad that you're pissed

You try to cope with the bullshit, but apparently you're doing it the wrong way so your new brother in law burns down your house and leaves you homeless. Again.

You are the villain in all this and it makes you the worst sister ever. Btw.

[Along with a bunch of other stuff but I didn't read the new books so ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯]

I would have killed that dude actually. Petition for Nesta to burn down fairytopia she deserves it

Anonymous asked: for me the most insane thing abt the treatment of nesta is that she’s canonically only in her early twenties the entire time it’s going down. like girl should be living it up rn partying or w/e. instead these 500+ yo hags murder, abuse and brainwash her, and proceed to ruin her life whenever she manages to get anything nice. and one of them has the audacity to claim they’re in love or w/e. like huh?????? the decrepit freaks need to step away from her, not become her husband. the age gap alone is horrendous without adding all the elements of straight up abuse. and what’s potentially worse is that the narrative (and the fans) act like somehow this abuse is justified bc she was “mean” to feyre. like in what world does being mean to ur younger sister warrant getting kidnapped, killed and having your life dismantled and abused by your sister’s friends. honestly it is some true mental gymnastics on sjm and her fans’ parts bc quite literally everyone else’s perspective feyre and her merry band of fuckheads are unequivocally the villains

PETITION FOR NESTA TO BURN DOWN FAIRYTOPIA INDEED

[elainsgirl]

I want your opinion on this:

I feel like the difference between the two sides of the ACOTAR fandom is that one side defends characters whose actions might have been somewhat questionable while trying to do something good or for the greater good, while the other side defends characters whose actions have hurt the people who loved them, for no real reason.

For instance…supporters of Tamlin or Nesta or Lucien, they usually have to mention all their trauma (which all ACOTAR characters have) to excuse the things they did. At the same time, they ignore everyone else’s (especially the IC’s) trauma, while trying to take every single action of theirs out of context to try and make them seem evil. Even though everything the IC has done has had a good intention behind it. They have also saved the whole world, including their favorite characters and people still be excessively hateful towards every slightly negative thing they ever did. Meanwhile Tamlin, Nesta, Lucien have hurt people that loved them without a reason—whether that was jealousy or control or lack of empathy or anything like that, they harmed those who cared about them because they felt the right to.

I want to know what you think about this, because you seem smart in how I see you talk in other blogs.

I actually think you’re spot on anon and couldn’t agree more. The divide in the fandom (im going to be annoying but it also reflects on the shipwars) is due to this Victim vs every abuser was once a victim mentality and no one wanting to see how grey and complex each relationship is instead of it simply being “she did this therefore she’s wrong and my character is better” take.

Just focusing on Nesta’s and Feyre’s relationship (this is just a generalisation of what I’ve seen)

Feyre stans can’t like Nesta and struggle with emphasising with her character because of what she put Feyre through unnecessarily. Making Feyre think she was unloved & carrying the burden of their family’s survival and when Feyre did ask Nesta to do something it would come with complaining- basically its hard to like Nesta when she made Feyre’s already miserable life…even more miserable especially when we read about how it made Feyre feel and as a reader you can feel Feyre’s isolation and it bring this sense of anger and unfairness bcs why is Feyre the one being treated so badly when - out of the kindess of her heart (and a promise to her mother) she has been hunting for her family all these years? It makes the sisters to most readers - unrelatable and Nesta (in this regards) more so unlikeable bcs Nesta was actively acting terrible whereas Elain was kind to Feyre but just a useless airhead.

we flip this coin onto most Nesta stans that can empathise with Nesta because they know how it feels to be angry, misjudged and having walls up to keep everyone out. They understand how daunting, humiliating etc it must have felt for Nesta to have her wealth and status taken away so she’s reduced to poverty - they understand this will affect and change any childs’ behaviour especially when you consider Nesta was in her main developmental stage - the stage where everything affects you and begins to shape you as a person. Most Nesta Stans understand that Nesta’s anger was there because of how abruptly her situation changed and the one adult that was supposed to take care of them and guide them to a better life just began to say back. That anger & resentment at her useless father built up throughout the years - Nesta wanted their father to step up but he didnt, Feyre did.

narratively, we’ve had about 3 books of seeing Nesta being prickly & just an overall difficult character- those stans that liked Nesta pre-acosf had to justify their like for Nesta in a fandom that hated her and whats the best way to justify something? Invalidate something else - in this case hate & judgement came from Feyre stans so people began to invalidate Feyre and how she’s unreliable, also not perfect & made terrible mistakes. Acosf fueled takes against Feyre even more considering she forced Nesta to live in the H.O.W despite how much “choice” means to her - Nesta was given none. So thats one divide in the fandom. Feyre against Nesta.

For feyre stans its like, “how can you even like a character thats been so “abusive”, mean and just terrible to everyone around her”. Whereas Nesta stans are like, “how can you not emphasise with what nesta went through and see why it made her the way she is? You do realise your own characters aren’t perfect so why is Nesta being dogged on”

This also applies to the whole Tamlin vs Rhys debate. Or Nesta vs IC debate.

To sum it up - half the fandom agrees with “trauma isn’t an excuse” whilst the other agrees with “trauma is an explanation”

none of these characters are perfect but when you have interpreted terrible characters like Nesta and Tamlin - you can be shamed for liking them therefore as I mentioned before to justify something you invalidate something else. This fandom for a long time idolised the IC whereas they’re each heavily flawed - I think it can be frustrating for Nesta/Tamlin stans to be constantly judged for liking their characters where as no one bats an eye at inner circle stans when they gang have done bad/questionable things as well. Yet the thing with Nesta/Tamlin stans is that they take things too far to the point where the narrative Mass spent time crafting around these characters is twisted. For example- “Rhys manipulated Feyre into falling for him and has actually never given her any choice” now, come on. We know thats not true - its not the authors’ intent - is Rhys perfect? No. Is Feysand perfect? No. But to say he’s been tricking her is just false and so that brings frustrations from Feysand/IC stans bcs if you have to come up with such distorted takes on these characters then you’re biased and in the wrong.

I think it rlly comes down to your biases and which side of the take, “trauma isnt an excuse vs trauma is an explanation” you agree the most with.

[ganondoodle]

still thinking about how even just the decision to basically act like the shiekah tech never existed is just ... so baffling to me

bc again you could have done all the sonau tech does with shiekah instead, and they were perfect to be explored more in a sequel, why wouldnt you grasp that potential, the literal building blocks for more??

if you are that tired of shiekah tech .. dont make it a fuckign sequel to the game prominently featuring it???? totk doesnt take place generations after botw in which things could have changed drastically, its just a few years afterwards??

you want to reuse the map and get rid of shiekah tech? ok fine take LINK into the past then and the focus is for you to find a way to return; do some neat twist where its revealed that link was the one who sealed gan bc he couldnt defeat him without zelda or something if you dare (they wouldnt)

want less work than that and still reuse the map and get rid of shiekah tech AND reuse characters? ok then make it some alternate universe thingy like majoras mask in which everythign is the same but also isnt, its weird and creepy how characters you thoguht you knew suddendly dont act like themselves, shiekah tech doesnt exist, malice is now miasma, etc, it would give reason to why you feel so much like something about this world is familiar yet also very wrong

as far as im aware every "sequel" we have had so far were either generations apart from the first one, some alternate universe or a different location altogether- in all of which its plausible that things are different, things seem weirdly familiar but also wrong, or that another continent just works different from hyrule

but totk does none of that, its supposedly just a few years after the first game, same world same character, but its BUILT like some strange jumbled mess of stuff from botw and new stuff out of nowhere that just .. doesnt fit, but feeling a strange sense of otherness, a déja vu of something you know but it acts off, like an imposter, thats NOT intentional and it shows, its a mess of botw stuff, from stuff that people missed from the old games and entirely new stuff; i dont doubt it CAN work but the way it turned out is like a mix of 3 different puzzles forced together and being told 'see it fits!' even tho you can clearly see the pieces dont look right in these places

again it feels like a sequel that desperately wants you to forget the first game happened, that anythign from it mattered at all

and that isnt really ... the sense of a sequel? why insist on it being one when it only creates problems? is it marketing?? just like it was marketing to call age of calamity a telling of what happened before botw but then it wasnt that at all and that is still the sole reason why i dislike it? bc i was lied to? totk is like 10000 times worse than that, its a main title and doesnt even have the excuse of yeah its basically an excuse to play all your fav characters in fun ways and the game beign well aware that being its main appeal; what is totk appeal? a toybox with botw aestethic and none of the flavor?

(on a sidenote; the sonau tech doesnt even .. matter? in botw at least calamity ganon was made of shiekah tech parts and him overtaking other tech is a big point, the sonau tech doesnt serve anything but .. idk minerus useless mech? gan doesnt even aknowledge it, he doesnt care, all it is is toys for the player, not link, but the player. the monsters mining the tech materials? what for? gan doesnt give a damn and they dont work for the yiga either??)

i said it before but it gives me the feeling that the way botw invited you to theorize, to look beneath the surface, the way it intrigued you and laid the groundwork for so many interesting things without denying anything.. was accidental? or perhaps put in the game without the directors noticing? i cant stop thinking about them saying sth like "after botw zelda wondered if the kingdom of hyrule needed to keep existing the way it had been before the calamity, but then totk happens" bc it just feels like they realized too late that botw naturally led into questioning the status quo and they scrambled to fit it back into a flat and boring road we have seen so many times before (or even worse really) with totk

zeldas character naturally leads into her questioning and reexamine their history and set of rules? we gotta teach her a lesson of why she is importante god given monarchy girl that has to keep it bc what if evil brown man shows up again for no reason

maybe im grasping at straws here but looking at it this way the sonau .. make more "sense"; the shiekah were a group that was under the rule of the royal family, and misstreated before (oh no look soemthing interesting) so they dont lend themselves well to be used for teaching zelda that lesson- the sonau however are tailored really to be just that; they are a supposedly godly race from the literal sky that founded this version of hyrule, that had tech even more advanced and better than the shiekah, she gets put in the past to meet the perfect god king of goodness personally, also his very fridgy wifey that zelda later replaces in a way, shes put there and treated like family and then gets to see just how evil that evil big man from the desert is, sonia is falcon-punched to death solely so zelda can feel obligated to take over her role, have her new, better 'family' hurt by gan; similarly so raurus sacrifice, look what a noble and good king he is, he payed the ultimate price to lock that evil man away, now zelda you cannot let their sacrifice go to waste, rebuild that divinely good kingdom like it was!!

and even though they go so much out of their way to put the cart back onto the rails of black and white-good and evil in an even flatter way than the old games, it still doesnt feel right, at least to me, it still feels like zelda shouldnt have gone along with all of that, it feels like even her character from botw was walked back entirely, except for the intro, it made her feel like a stranger to me-

because this is a sequel, i know this zelda, she wouldnt act like that after all that shes been through, this feels ... off

and it all just insulting to anyone who cared about botw more than surface level, or the zelda lore in general, i dont even care much about the timeline, but theres alot of lore and themes beyond it that felt ignored, especially so given that .. its a damn sequel, non AU, not generations apart, directly part 2-

but its not.

it even feels very "corporate", put zelda in a dress again, people liked that, put crazy abilities in the game to flashbang people with how insane it is even if its not the best for the gameplay or the story, put a new asthetic into it out of nowhere bc its 'new' and act like its been there the whole time, put gan in there bc people miss him and find him sexy even if his role is just as flat as that of an evil cloud monster-

*sigh*

you know, i saw a post that said aoc was like a bad fanfic (affectionate) and totk was like a bad fanfic (derogatory) and tbh thats like one of the best comparisons/summaries i have seen ..

[pangaeaseas]

Petertha: My Semi-Serious Ship Manifesto

This is a darkly comedic headcanon but also like: think of the shade it throws on canon. And I LOOOVE villainous Peter. Make that man more evil!

But like also. Going through the mentions of her in canon and like...babes...I think we were sleeping on this one....I think it is genuinely a reasonable interpretation...

So our first mentions of Bertha are in the very first chapter of GoF, setting up her death as crucial to the mystery of that book. And what's the first thing we learn about her as a person? Well, we learn that she RECOGNIZED Peter, even though he presumably looks very different after years living as a freaking rat and without a finger:

“Wormtail, Wormtail,” said the cold voice silkily, “why would I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, awkward questions would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with the news that she had met you on her holidays. Wizards who are supposed to be dead would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches at wayside inns. . . .” (GoF Chapter 1)

Peter is also pretty cagey and doubtful throughout this conversation--he expresses his doubts at the reliability of Voldemort's plans, and he also mentions that potentially they could have wiped Bertha's memory. As though he feels guilty for her death...and we know Peter is capable of guilt bc of the whole strangled by own hand thing...

We next learn that Bertha is 'more trouble than she's worth' from Percy Weasley (interestingly enough, Percy is also of course the original owner of Scabbers). You know what might make someone bad at their job and get them shunted from department to department? Well, being the victim of a Memory Charm--but also GRIEF at your Hogwarts boyfriend being murdered! And Percy being an employee of Crouch-->Bertha being an employee of Crouch-->Percy is the original owner of Scabbers...idk if that's anything but maybe it is.

Sirius also knows a lot about Bertha Jorkins, including that she ended up working for the Ministry (the kind of thing you find out about someone you knew well), and confirms that he knew her in school--which means the other Marauders knew her as well. He has a strong opinion on her character, the way you do with someone you know well, like, for example, them dating one of your friends...:

“Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins,” said Sirius grimly. “She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It’s not a good combination, Harry. I’d say she’d be very easy to lure into a trap.” (GoF)

This is a REALLY strong and confident character judgement and he's confident enough in it to make a whole argument about Voldemort's plans from it. And Sirius is not actually someone who generally leaps to conclusions, especially about something as important as what Voldemort is planning. He has to be very confident in his assessment of Bertha. Like he knew her more extensively than her simply being a few years ahead of them.

And no wonder he wouldn't mention her dating Peter, considering he'd likely not want to remind himself of his positive memories of Peter. Bertha isn't the only character Sirius potentially had more knowledge of he's cagey about in GoF: he does the same with Bellatrix, another painful topic (never mentioning he's her cousin).

And Sirius later makes another confident character judgement of Bertha, claiming that he wouldn't have expected her to be a liability because of poor memory specifically because she was a gossip (how do YOU know that Sirius?) Again, he knows her really well and feels safe leveraging this knowledge in a (completely accurate) read that it seems like something happened to her. The way you know your friend's ex-girlfriend.

(Now, this is all for the crack theory: I actually think the Bertha stuff is more Sirius being a lot more perceptive and interested in other people than he's given credit for. )

Also, Peter goes for older women apparently!

“He put a hex on me, Professor Dumbledore, and I was only teasing him, sir, I only said I’d seen him kissing Florence behind the greenhouses last Thursday. . . .” “But why, Bertha,” said Dumbledore sadly, looking up at the now silently revolving girl, “why did you have to follow him in the first place?” (GoF, The Pensieve)

Now this bit is really interesting. Who do we eventually learn 'go around hexing people for the fun of it?' The Marauders. So maybe this is Bertha being jealous of Peter, him hexing her, and her playing off the jealousy as 'teasing' even though her feelings are really hurt Because Peter is an asshole.

(I actually think this *might* be a reference to James...)

And now for the real juice:

"But Wormtail — displaying a presence of mind I would never have expected from him — convinced Bertha Jorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her . . . he brought her to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead to be a gift beyond my wildest dreams . . . for — with a little persuasion — she became a veritable mine of information." (GoF)

So this is Voldemort's Bond villain rant at the graveyard. And Voldemort is a big gossip too he enjoys talking about stuff like 'oh hey Lucius and Narcissa and Bellatrix your niece is fucking a werewolf nanny-nanny-po-po this is totally relevant information'. He likes to humiliate people by talking about, like them and their families' love lives...so he's bringing up Bertha/Peter...especially now that Peter's purpose has been served by resurrecting him. He is even going like 'what a GIF. For ME." Like basically being...Peter I fucked (murdered) your girlfriend. (More on the murder bit in a second.)

And damn. Like, imagine you are Bertha Jorkins. You go on a fun vacation to Albania. You meet a guy in a bar. Oh whoops he's actually your ex. You ex who is dead?? And you...go with him on a midnight stroll??? Instead of like...calling the police? Questioning further at the very least? Maybe you are still into him...

And midnight excursions are consistently associated with romance. See people going to the Astronomy Tower to hook up, or Snape hexing amorous students apart once it's late at the Yule Ball (because now that it's late it's the season of romance...). So it's an interesting choice of words by both Voldemort and the author.

It's also never explained how exactly Wormtail 'overpowered' her. Could totally be a seduction.

Then Bertha comes out of Voldemort's wand. Ok. So Voldemort definitely killed her, right? Except...Voldemort was a spirit at this point! How was he corporeal enough to kill someone with his wand? He wasn't even possessing Wormtail...and Wormtail is the one who made the rudimentary magic-capable body he uses to kill Frank Bryce.

We also have an example of a victim of Voldemort's wand who wasn't killed by Voldemort appearing from the same Priori Incantatem: Cedric. 'Kill the spare' Cedric. In fact when Dumbledore discusses the Priori Incantatem, he explicitly refers to victims of Voldemort's wand rather than of Voldemort. So Bertha coming out of Voldemort's wand doesn't necessarily mean Voldemort personally killed her. In fact I think it's very likely WORMTAIL killed her.

And if Wormtail killed her on Voldemort's orders...after she was so interested in reconnecting! The angst! The drama! The guilt! HE"S THE LAST LIVING THING SHE SEES! Is that not achingly romantic! She was so eager to see him alive again too! And she'd worked in Crouch's office: she probably knew the potential implications of that re: Sirius.

Imagine an alternate universe where Peter decided 'screw Voldemort! I want Bertha!' Romantic outlaws on the run! They kill Crouch for what he did! And then run into the sunset!

We have ourselves a ship! Petertha nation rise...

[woman-respecter]

i lurk on this liberal pro-dem subreddit that skews mostly male and it's so telling tbh. they'll be like "why should blue states subsidize red states? skill issue. red states simply can't keep up with a changing society and deserve to be left in the dust" but the second they're an article about the groyperization of young men they're all like "can they be blamed? young men have many legitimate grievances. our school system and society encourages the success of girls. feminism calls men evil rapists, etc" without shame or irony. no one would suggest affirmative action to fix men's plummeting college attendance bc aa is not a popular concept on that sub but you just know they're thinking it. that one atlantic article about the couples who are doing ivf specifically to get daughters bc of the view that daughters are better behaved and more reliable and responsible than sons really brought the mras out of the woodwork on there. like actual "i no longer doubt that we live in a gynocentric society" comments. men have held women back and it was treated as evidence of women's inherent inferiority. now women are overtaking men in some small sectors of society and it's treated as a public health crisis. like, sorry you're useless and your parents don't trust you to take care of them when they're old. skill issue.

it sucks that even the men we expect to be our best allies still have manosphere beliefs. men have an evil solidarity with each other that women don’t, which really sucks.

tho tbf reddit may not be the best sample bc that is such a manosphere type website. perhaps non-redditor men are more reasonable?